The best news
by rikkurox
Summary: Sorry for the lame title, I had no idea what to call it. It's just a short oneshot set at the end of Anne of the Island about Anne telling Marilla that she is engaged. Hope you like and please read and review.


**A/N – I hope you like this, it's a very short one-shot but I always wanted to know how Marilla reacted when Anne told her about the engagement and so I thought I'd write my own ideas down. Please read and review!**

Anne walked along the path with Gilbert, feelings and anticipations filled her mind. She looked around her and felt that there had never been a more beautiful day, the birds were singing, the fields were green and she and Gilbert were engaged. They got to Green Gables and Anna said goodbye to Gilbert, watching him walk down the lane. Then she opened the door to her home and stepped inside.

Meanwhile Marilla was sitting in the sitting room looking in to the fire and dreaming as Rachel and the twins were away. She had changed a lot over the years that Anne had lived with her, perhaps more than ever before. Although she would chastise herself later, for now she was lost in a dream world forsaking what was for what might have been. She jumped up when she heard Anne coming, thinking it would be Mrs. Lynde and the twins. She glanced out of her window and saw that it was Anne walking with Gilbert. She looked at the young girl's face and saw in it the love she had once felt herself, Gilbert looked so like his father, it was almost as if… No, even in her deepest and most confidential thoughts she would not think of him as her son. She wished that Anne and Gilbert would realise how that they were meant for each other, she could see love in both their faces today, more than she ever had before, and hoped that they would realise it before it was too late. She was awoken from the day dream by Anne shutting the door and went through to see her.

"Anne." She smiled, Anne was leaning up against the door a small smile on her face and a look in her eyes that Marilla had never seen before. "Anne?" she said again.

"Oh Marilla, I'm sorry I didn't hear you, isn't it a beautiful day?"

"Well yes, I suppose it is, but Anne what's come over you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I… well you see, Gilbert and I are engaged!" Anne said laughing as she said that phrase for the first time. Marilla stood perfectly still looking at the young woman in front of her. She hadn't expected this to happen yet and was shocked. She couldn't believe that Anne would be leaving her and that the little girl she had know had turned into someone old enough and mature enough to be engaged. She then turned her attention to who Anne was marrying and tears welled up in her eyes. This puts right the old mistake she thought to herself her eyes glistening with tears.

"Marilla?" Anne cried, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

"I'm happier than I've ever been before," Marilla said trying to collect herself, "you don't know what this means to me Anne." Her eyes overflowed with tears and she dabbed her face with handkerchief irritated at herself for showing such weakness.

Anne put her arms around Marilla trying to comfort her but Marilla said,

"There, there, I'm alright now, It's just, well you marrying Gilbert, it seems to… I don't know."

"Seems to what?" Anne asked curiously, she had never grown out of her curiosity despite many people, Marilla included, telling her the old saying – curiosity killed the cat.

"Well…" Marilla stuttered wondering whether or not to tell Anne about the bit of romance in her life, "Well when I was young Mr. Blythe, and I, well people called him my beau, I guess he was really."

"What happened?"

"We quarrelled over something I suppose it was something silly as it often is, to tell you the truth I can't quite remember, and we never go over it. I had thought we'd get married, I never could go courting after that." She sighed at the recognition, "I suppose, I think, somehow, that you marrying Gilbert almost puts that right, he was always so like his father and, oh it's silly I suppose."

"No, no, Marilla it's not," Anne exclaimed. "In fact I'm even happier now to be marrying Gilbert because I feel that it will make someone else happy not just Gilbert and I.

"Oh Anne!" Marilla smiled, she was back to her old self and was already angry with herself for her weakness. "I think they'll be many people around here that'll be very happy to see you and Gilbert married, in fact here's one already.

Anne spun around to see Mrs. Lynde standing in the open doorway,

"What's happened?" She asked, "Something's happen, I can feel it."

"Well," Anne started; Marilla nodded to her and carried on, "Gilbert and I are engaged."

"Oh praise the lord!" Mrs. Lynde shouted, "Didn't I say they'd make a match Marilla? Didn't I say?"

"Yes Rachel," Marilla smiled at her friend of many years, "you did."


End file.
